Epsom Road Building Design - Assignment Example

Building design Name Date Course Site Surrounding The surrounding area generally has residential buildings along Epsom road. The road can be accessed easily through several streets that link up with the road. Single and double storey residential buildings are located along the road and close to the building site. Recreational and social facilities are located on the western side of the site. This includes a park as well as a golf course. A route for cyclists is also located on the western side close to the Fairbairn Park. On the eastern side of the sites, there is a nursing home as well as a primary school. This is mainly for the purposes of serving the needs of the residents. A Chinese home for the elderly is located on the northern side of the site. This is an indication that there are social facilities that are required to carter for the needs of the residents. A church is also located further on the north eastern side across Epsom road. Some commercial properties are located on the southern side as well as the eastern side of the building. This is mainly for the purposes of catering for the needs of the people. The location of the site can therefore be considered as strategic since it is located close to most of the facilities that are required for different purposes. The land directly opposite to the site has a residential building. The area surrounding the site appears to have a medium density population. The number of people living in the residential areas appears to be relatively low. Parking spaces are also available along the Epsom road which plays an important in ensuring that the residents do not find difficulties when driving. The site is spacious and it also has several large trees which may be uprooted. Neighborhood Description The neighbourhood is located close to Epsom Road which can be accessed easily. The building in the area is well established and is mainly residential. All trees are located at the site as well as at the surrounding which plays an important role in providing a space. The buildings surrounding the site have been designed using different architectural methods. All the buildings surrounding the site are well maintained with some being single storey and others being more than single storey. The Victorians as well as the Edwardian architectural designs are visible in the neighbourhood. However, some of the building appears to be old and others appear new. Concrete pavements are visible in the areas surrounding the site and they are well maintained. Most of the houses are made of brick, concretes or building blocks while a few houses are made of wood. The information about the surrounding site is useful in terms of influencing the design as well as the materials that can be used during the construction process (Harris & McCaffer, 2013). The roof style for most of the buildings surrounding the site includes the gabbed and hipped roof styles. All the buildings close to the site have a garden and well as a garage. In some of the residential areas, the garden is an important value that has to be maintained. The site surrounding appears to be unique and the design has to fit into the features and characteristics of the surrounding area. All the buildings in the neighbourhood have front fences. However the front fences are low and most them appears to be less than 1.2 meters. The streets surrounding the site have footpaths as well as kerbs. The streets are well maintained and there are proper parking spaces along the road. The features surrounding the site indicate that there are certain community values in the neighbourhood. The presence of pavements and paths is an indication that the residents value cycling as well as walking. The neighbourhood is therefore friendly to the pedestrians and the cyclists. The presence of trees and gardens is an indication that the people in the residential area place a lot of value on the environmental aspects. Modern buildings are common in the neighbourhood which is an indication that the emphasis on the traditional buildings is low. The traditional designs and architecture has therefore been lost in the neighbourhood. The features of the building have to contribute towards the characteristics of the neighbourhood and the street. This is for the purposes of ensuring the neighbourhood does not lose its values. The consistency of the building materials has to be maintained in order to ensure that uniformity in the neighbourhood is achieved (AbouRizk, et al, 2011). Most of the buildings within the neighbourhood do not have many decorations. Excessive decorations should therefore be avoided during the development of the building so as to ensure its fits the characteristics of the neighbourhood. However, there is a risk that some of the mature trees at the site will be lost in order facilitate the construction process. Site details The site is comprised of several old structures as well as tall trees and vegetation. Clearing of the land will therefore be required in order to ensure that the required that the building is developed. The huge trees at the site will have to cut down and the stumps uprooted. This process has to be carried out in order to ensure that adequate is available for the construction. All the other vegetation will have to be cleared in order to ensure that the site is ready for construction (Kertson & Marzluff, 2011). The existing structures at the site must also be demolished in order to pave way for the construction of the building. The residential building will be comprised of three storeys. The clearing of the site as well as the demolition of the building will ensures that adequate space is created. The measures will also be useful in ensuring that only minor changes are made in the design. The physical features that are available at the site also determine the nature of the building that can be constructed. The site is close to Epsom Road which is an advantage during the construction process as the delivery of materials will be easy. The structures as well as vegetation that is found at the site influences the how the construction activities will be carried out (Kertson & Marzluff, 2011). The structures that are on the site have to be demolished completely. This includes up to the foundation level so as to ensure that the foundation of the other building is stable. Specialized equipment will be required at the site during the demolition and clearing process. This is for the purposes of ensuring that the buildings next to the site are not affected. The site is however stable and it can support the construction of the building. The site also has adequate space that is required for the construction process. Design concept The whole structure will occupy 42.04 meters by 24.38 meters. The space is inclusive of different facilities as well as section of the residential building. This includes the building structure, garden as well as a car parking area. The building will also have a backyard as well as balcony on the upper floors. The space that is available at the site is enough for the construction of the building is the site is cleared and the existing structures demolished. The nature of the site as well as existing facilities plays an important role in influencing the design (Harris & McCaffer, 2013). Any small changes in the design may have negative impacts on the whole design. Changes in measurements lead to changes in the entire design. It is for this reason that the details about the site have to be obtained before the final design is adopted and approved. The design concept is based on various factors which has a direct effect on the building. The size of the land is one of the factors that were considered during the design (Harris & McCaffer, 2013). This is useful as in ensuring that the building will be able to fit the land that is available. On the other hand, the nature of the building in the neighbourhood was a factor that was considered during the design. The design concepts are useful in terms of ensuring that the construction needs are met. A lot of considerations have to make in order to ensure that the design is able to address all the needs of the stakeholders who will be involved in the implementation process. The consideration of the design concepts is also useful in terms of ensuring that improvements are made to the design before it is approved. Consultations are also useful during the process so as to obtain all the relevant information that can be used to improve on the design. Initial design The initial design had three main sections of the building and it includes the 1st floor plan, 2nd floor plan and the 3rd floor plan. The dimensions of the initial fits floor plan is 41.86 by 24.27 meters. The first floor plan indicates that the building has four car parking spaces. The parking spaces are in front of the building in the first floor. Four rooms are located in the first floor. Two rooms are adjacent to each other. The stair case is in the middle and it separates two buildings which are located adjacent to each other. To rooms have one bedroom, a living room, kitchen and washrooms. The other rooms that are adjacent to each other have two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen and washrooms. The car in the initial design was located next to the road. This is mainly for the purposes of convince and ease of movement. The dimensions of the 2 bedroom house in the initial plan were 8.96 by 7.43 meters. The width of the car park in the initial plan was 6.70 meters while the length was 41.86 meters. The initial design is usually developed based on the information that is available at the moment. The initial design of the second floor was different from the first floor as some of the facilities were not included. The second floor had a total of eight rooms with to being, one bedroom, five being two bedroom and one being a three bed roomed house. On the second floor, the dimension of the two bedroom house is 8.96 by 7.52 meters which is larger than that found on the first floor of the building. The dimensions of the three bedroom house are 13.28 by 7.52 meters. In the second floor, a corridor is located in the middle and it is used to access the rooms which are adjacent to each other. The second floor also has a stair case that is used to access the third floor of the building and the first floor. The initial design of the second floor is not too detailed and only the rooms are available. The initial design of the third floor of the building had exactly the same features as the second floor. The dimensions of the rooms as well as the features in the second and third floors are exactly the same. The similarity of the rooms after the first floor is common in most of the residential buildings (AbouRizk, et al, 2011). The final design The final design led to a lot of changes in the dimensions of the residential building. Unlike the initial design, the dimension of the building was changed from 41.86 by 24.27 to 42.04 by 24.38. The dimensions of the sizes of the each room were also changed in the final design. However, the similarity in terms of the number of rooms in the second and third floor was retained. The changes were made for the purposes of ensuring that the available space is fully utilized during the construction process. The sizes of the rooms were also increased in order to ensure that it is more spacious. This was also important for the purposes of ensuring that it meets the needs of the clients. Creating more space enables the people living in the house to store all their properties in a proper setting and arrangement (AbouRizk, et al, 2011). The changes in the dimensions were also useful in ensuring that the living room is more spacious. The final design was selected as it has the ability of meeting the needs of the tenants who will be living in the residential building. Through the changes that were made, overcrowding in the residential building was reduced. During the design the needs of the stakeholders such as tenants has to be considered (AbouRizk, et al, 2011). This is useful in terms of ensuring that they are satisfied with the nature and features of the building. In the final design, the backyard space has been increased. The changes were made after a careful study of the site. The final design is therefore the most appropriate and effective for the residential building. It has the ability of meeting the needs of all the stakeholders as well as ensuring that the land is properly utilized. The final design also had a lot of similarities with the buildings in the neighbourhood. This is therefore important in terms of ensuring that uniformity is achieved. Differences in some of the instances have impact negatively on the ability to attract the client into the neighbourhood. In the final design, the parking space is also spacious and enough for all the residents of the building based on the number of rooms available. ESD initiative Thermal mass Thermal mass plays an important role in terms of reducing energy use and hence creating comfort in the building (Hampton, 2010). This concept has to be applied in the building as it may also be effective in controlling the temperatures inside the room. An effective control of temperatures ensures that the heating and cooling requirements are reduced. Heating and cooling in a room requires the use of electricity. In times of extreme heat and cold, a lot of electricity as well as other resources are used. To avoid this, the concepts of thermal mass will be utilized. This will be achieved through the use of materials that support thermal mass. Such materials include the floor tiles as well as the bricks. This will be used in the walls of the building as well as the floors. Thermal mass concepts will create a lot of comfort in the building as the climate of Australia is characterized by very warm summers and very cold winters (Hampton, 2010). The area of thermal mass within the building will be six times more than the area of glass. This will play an essential role in ensuring that the area covered by the materials that supports thermal mass is much larger. Brick concrete, concrete blocks and thermal earth will be used in different parts of the building. This will play an essential role in terms of ensuring that the building is effective in terms of controlling and maintaining the temperature. The concepts of thermal mass will be useful in ensuring that the occupants are comfortable. Insulation Insulation is equally useful in terms of controlling and maintaining the temperature inside the building. It plays an essential role in reducing the rate or speed of heat transfer within the building (Hampton, 2010). This is achieved through the formation of s resistive layer which allows heat to move but at a slower rate. The polystyrene form of insulation will be used for the purposes of ensuring that the building is able to control and maintain the flow of temperature. The insulation materials are usually sandwiched between the concrete panels during the construction process. This will play an important role on ensuring that the building is able to meet the requirements of the residents in terms of cooling and heating (Department of Building and Housing (NZ), 2009). The concepts of night purge will also be used as part of the insulation process. This will play an essential role in terms of ensuring that the requirements of the building are met. However security measures are required when using this concept. The residents will be required to make their own arrangements regarding its use and operations. The batt insulation which is commonly used in Australia will also be considered for building (Department of Building and Housing (NZ), 2009). It is effective as well as affordable and will therefore not increase the construction cost. The use of insulation concepts are important in terms of ensuring that energy is saved and the building is sustainable. Sustainability is increasingly becoming an important aspect the building and construction industry. Bibliography Hampton, A., 2010. Thermal mass and insulation for temperate climate. Environment design guide. Department of Building and Housing (NZ), 2009. Smarter Homes. Department of Building and Housing. Harris, F., & McCaffer, R., 2013. Modern construction management. John Wiley & sons. AbouRizk, S., et al., 2011. Research in modeling and simulations for improving construction engineering operations. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. Kertson, B. N., & Marzluff. J. M., 2011. Improving studies of resource selection by understanding resource use. Environmental conservation 38(1), 18-27. Read More